Kopitiam by Wilai

Kopitiam by Wilai is a Thalang Road coffee shop styled after an old Chinese kopitiam, or coffee shop. It opened around 2010, following The Loft and China Inn as one of the early arrivals in the revival that turned Thalang Road into the old town's main stretch of cafés and shops. The look is that of a long-established Chinese shop, filled with small bric-a-brac collected over the years, and it has been renovated without losing that character.

Although the name points to coffee, Kopitiam is as much a place for a cheap, filling meal as for a drink. The dish most people order is Phuket-style Hokkien mee, noodles fried with squid and prawns and topped with an egg. Rice noodles, known as mee hoon, can be ordered thick or thin, and the menu also covers pad thai, including a house version of pad thai kee mao, a tom yum beef noodle soup and Thai curries such as green curry. Prices are modest, with most dishes costing little more than a coffee in the newer specialty cafés.

The shop is open from 11:00 to 22:00, so it works for lunch, an afternoon break or an early dinner. It can get busy at lunchtime and on Sunday evenings, when the walking street market fills Thalang Road outside. Its sister restaurant, Wilai, is right next door, so if one is full the other is a good alternative.

Kopitiam suits budget travellers, families and anyone who wants to try Phuket's noodle dishes without the formality of a restaurant. The atmosphere is relaxed and the portions are reasonable, so order a couple of dishes to share if you want to try more than one. Some dishes are spicy; ask the staff if you prefer things milder. Arrive a little before the lunchtime peak if you want a table quickly.

The café is in the heart of the old town walk. Soi Romanee, Dou Brew and the Thai Hua Museum are all within a few minutes on foot, and a narrow passage near the shop leads through to the Shrine of the Serene Light. A late lunch here followed by an afternoon wander along Thalang and Phang Nga roads makes an easy, inexpensive half day.